Apparently, stupider people have more friends

Often find yourself hating the company of other human beings? You might be onto something.

According to new research by evolutionary psychologists Satoshi Kanazawa and Norman Li, the majority of people’s self-reported happiness increased with the amount of time they spent with loved ones.

In contrast, however, smarter people were found to be less happy when surrounded by family and friends.

No friends? No problem

The research, which looked at the links between intelligence, population density and happiness, concludes: “More intelligent individuals experience lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization with friends.”

Kanazawa and Li propose a “savannah theory of happiness”, which links back to caveman times. This means smart people may enjoy company less, simply because they don’t need it – they’re better off at solving problems on their own.

So don’t worry next time you don’t have anyone to go to the pub with: it probably just means you’re the next Stephen Hawking.